3D A Quick Preview of Arch Oboler's "The Bubble" Coming in 2014 (1 Viewer)

[Bob Furmanek]

Yes, the disc will include a 2-D version as well but it will not have an anaglyph red/blue conversion.Anaglyph does not work well for film and is best used for comic books and print materials.

 

[Jobla]

Definitely a purchase for me, but I may hold onto the old Rhino DVD as well.Will the Kino disc have any supplemental features?

 

[GregK]

My schedule has not allowed for my normal preferred HTF browsing, but I wanted to stop in and say this really is a group effort with Bob Furmanek being very aware this title will get only one shot. And to that end he has written detailed notes on various adjustments that were needed, and culled a number of alternate elements to help cross-examine and improve upon our work. There will still be some occasional nicks and specks here and there as Pete already mentioned, but this title has had a rough handling history and needed a lot of TLC for us to be able to harvest from the best elements possible.

It certainly deserves it, as THE BUBBLE has a special place in stereoscopic film history. As many 3-D buffs already know, it was Arch Oboler who helped kick start the 1950's 3-D wave in the States with his first 3-D feature BWANA DEVIL in 1952. It would be 14 years later before he would make his 2nd 3-D feature, and in the tradition of Arch Oboler, he again went with an entirely new process of 3-D shooting and projection. Single strip 35mm 3-D projection had limited test runs in the 1950's as well as previous prototype attempts, but it was Oboler who in 1966 premiered the first widespread major single strip 3-D feature THE BUBBLE, which utilized single strip 35mm for both filming and exhibiting a 3-Dimensional motion picture. For the BUBBLE, Oboler used Colonel Robert Bernier's SpaceVision 3-D attachment which captured the left & right 3-D images as two stacked scope images within a normal 35mm frame. The single strip 35mm type of 3-D shooting and presentation with slight variations would continue on as the defacto 3-D film format for the next 30 years, which include titles such as JAWS 3-D, FRIDAY THE 13TH PT 3, and AMTYVILLE 3-D, just to name a few. 1980's 3-D director Charles Band used the single strip over and under format as late as 1997 for his last 3-D movie THE CREEPS. 3-D history aside, THE BUBBLE is also easily one of the cleanest looking 3-D single strip features shot. Ironically almost 20 years later, a number of single strip 3-D movies shot in the early 1980's would have chromatic aberrations and other issues that are essentially non-existent in Oboler's premiere single strip 3-D feature.

THE BUBBLE has the suspense element Oboler is known for from his radio days, and has a unique sci-fi mystery combination that reminds one of the Twilight Zone and Outer Limits episodes of the time. Mod Squads Micheal Cole and the original Gidget Deborah Walley deliver solid performances about a town and surrounding area suddenly being encased under a giant dome by forces unknown. For those who watch current TV programming, does this sound familiar? Oboler's sometimes quirky story telling approach may not always appeal to everyone's tastes, but there is no denying the impact this movie has made in 3-D film history. It also has a very fare share of "out of screen" 3-D effects that will be sure to please, that is .. for those who don't mind that sort of thing.

Greg Kintz
Tech Director
3-D Film Archives
http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/

 

[Jobla]

The film played Seattle under the alternate title THE FANTASTIC INVASION OF PLANE EARTH. I didn't see it theatrically, and had no idea that it was actually THE BUBBLE. I had read about THE BUBBLE in Famous Monsters of Filmland, and wanted to see it. I don't recall the movie (FANTASTIC INVASION) as being advertised for 3-D. That same theater later exhibited both THE STEWARDESSES and DOMO ARRIGATO.

After starring in Gidget and Beach Party flicks, as well as Disney's SUMMER MAGIC, Deborah Walley must have enjoyed playing a more adult role. In THE BUBBLE, she even gets to be pregnant!

 

[MikeDE]

I cannot wait for this to be released! Besides looking forward to a great 3d experience, I want to show some friends how that certain TV show was nothing new. This will be a lot of fun!

 

[David Sal]

Waiting for those.
I'll post a before/after image later today to show the amount of fading and the color correction that we have done.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I've never seen this film, but it'll be a day one blind buy for me (or day one pre-order is more likely!) - really can't wait!

 

[Bob Furmanek]

Thanks, Josh!

 

[Bob Furmanek]

Coming to Blu-ray from Kino Lorber on November 18, 2014!

 

[Joe Bernardi]

Blind buy for me, too.

 

[FoxyMulder]

Just wanted to post some impressions of the upcoming 3-D release of Arch Oboler's The Bubble, courtesy of Bob Furmanek's 3-D Film Archive and coming to Blu-ray 3D in 2014 via Kino Classics.Bob invited me to preview a check disc of the film and it was quite a treat. The Archives' technical director, Greg Kintz, has done shot by shot 3D correction of the original SpaceVision photography and the results are nothing short of stunning. As I described to Bob, it was one of the "smoothest" 3D Blu-ray presentations I've ever seen. Each shot blended perfectly and fit in precisely with the preceding and incoming shots. Virtually no eyestrain anywhere. I understand the original camera negatives were used for the HD transfer and they needed significant color correction also. I'm hoping Bob can post before and after scans to demonstrate the work that went into this transfer. Greg also painstakingly erased all the splice lines from every edit, if he hadn't done that extra work the film's 2.35 aspect ratio would have needed to be over-cropped by an unacceptable amount to hide them.And for those who desire off-screen effects (in the current parlance, "popout"), this film has them. In spades. Including one of the greatest single off-screen effects I've ever witnessed, which must be seen to be believed.The movie is an intriguing science fiction tale told and performed with sincerity. No, it's not "2001" or "Forbidden Planet" but it's not trying to be. I can't imagine any fan of 3D would be disappointed in this presentation when Kino Classics releases it later this year.

As long as i can import it into the UK i'll buy it, sounds like my type of movie.

 

[StephenDH]

Please tell me I won't have to buy a new Blu-Ray player to see this.

 

[Bob Furmanek]

From Kino's website:

For which region are Kino Lorber DVDs encoded?
Kino DVDs are "region-one", intended for use in North America. They are recorded, however, in NTSC format. Customers outside of North America may need a multi-system television and DVD player.

 

[FoxyMulder]

From Kino's website:

For which region are Kino Lorber DVDs encoded?
Kino DVDs are "region-one", intended for use in North America. They are recorded, however, in NTSC format. Customers outside of North America may need a multi-system television and DVD player.

NTSC doesn't have anything to do with blu ray, well maybe the extra content but not the film, i assume the blu ray will be region coded then, not a problem for me as long as it's available to purchase online and i can buy it from the UK.

 

[Ejanss]

Blind buy for me, too.

It's no blind buy for me, I SAW the "Fantastic Invasion" trailer before that first showing of Star Wars, so many years ago. (You have never felt such a collective mass audience sensation of "The flippin' HELL?? ")

I'd like to rent it, but being a Kino title, it's a little more off the radar than The Lego Movie or Rio 2.
If you can, Bob, please make sure 3D-BlurayRental.com gets a copy; that's where I was able to rent TT's Man in the Dark. They're a website that goes the extra mile for getting the "rare" disks to us poor persecuted renters.

 

[Bob Furmanek]

Here you go:

 

[Bob Furmanek]

The SpaceVision 3-D lens system utilized on THE BUBBLE was first developed and introduced as Naturama by Col. Robert V. Bernier in November 1953. Unlike other single-strip 3-D systems at the time (Nord and Moropticon) it stacked two wide-screen images above and below in a standard 4-perf 35mm frame. The first demonstration was held on May 25, 1954 but interest in 3-D was waning and the system sat on the shelf until 1963.

 

[Bob Furmanek]

When asked if the film was worth buying, Mr. David M. Ballew posted these comments on THE BUBBLE in a thread at Blu-ray.com. He was kind enough to grant permission to share them here. http://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=245258

InfiniteCR, I will level with you: The Bubble is a mixed bag.

On the one hand, I find its three leads very appealing, and they give sincere performances. The visuals are bright and colorful. The Space-Vision 3-D is very dramatic, a lot of fun, and easily the very best and most memorable thing about the film. I like the novelty of a family-friendly 3-D film from the late 1960s, which (no pun intended) gives me a window onto a time immediately before I was born. And I happen to think it’s fun to see a few famous radio performers (Olan Soule, Virginia Gregg) in supporting roles.

On the other hand, The Bubble is an Arch Oboler movie. Oboler is considered a genius of radio scripting and production, and to be honest, his screenplays tend to be supremely talky, much like his radio plays. And Oboler was a man who believed in the power of media to communicate didactically, so one comes away with the impression that the film is primarily designed to deliver Oboler’s ideas, and eventful narrative is only a secondary consideration. On top of all that, Oboler was no one’s idea of a visual stylist, at least under ordinary circumstances. But you can tell he had a lot of enthusiasm for Space-Vision, and as I say I think The Bubble offers some very beautiful, exciting, and fun 3-D. I think it's a much better-looking film than his Bwana Devil, personally.

I wish I could say something to make you firmly wish to buy The Bubble on Day One, as I plan to do. But the reality is, your mileage will vary. I happen to like The Bubble. I find I can slip into its unique groove and enjoy it. It helps considerably that The Bubble is a delirious showcase of off-the-screen “popout” effects, which have been so neglected in recent, very timid 3-D movies out of Hollywood.

As far as I am concerned, when it comes to The Bubble, the pluses outweigh the cons. And I am very, very grateful to Bob and Greg and anyone and everyone else who went through the trouble to preserve this historically important stereoscopic film for posterity. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

 

[FoxyMulder]

Mr. David M. Ballew posted these comments on THE BUBBLE

It helps considerably that The Bubble is a delirious showcase of off-the-screen “popout” effects, which have been so neglected in recent, very timid 3-D movies out of Hollywood.

Now that's a truthful man who knows what he is talking about, i wholeheartedly agree with the last part of that statement.

 

[RJ992]

We know Michael Cole from MOD SQUAD. And Deborah Walley as my fave GIDGET (GOES HAWAIIAN)...well, seeing her in 3D is the only selling point I'll need!